Sophie Antonia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: In 1675, Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died. Initially, his seven sons collectively governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. One of the seven new duchies was the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld and Johann Ernst, one of the seven sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became the first Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld.  When two of his brothers died without male heirs, Johann Ernst took possession of Coburg (in 1699) and Römhild (in 1714). In 1699, Johann Ernst’s title changed to Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

In 1825, 145 years after the initial split, another line became extinct and there was another split between three surviving duchies. Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. For more information on the switch, see Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Index.

On November 9, 1918, after the German Empire lost World War I, the Workers’ and Soldiers Council of Gotha, deposed the last Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Charles Edward, a grandson of Queen Victoria.  Five days later, he signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. The territory that encompassed the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is now in the German states of Bavaria and Thuringia.

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Sophie Antonia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of Ernst Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and the great-grandmother of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, Sophie Antonia was born on January 24, 1724, in Wolfenbüttel, in the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. She was the ninth of the fifteen children and the fourth of the seven daughters of Ferdinand Albrecht II, Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and his first cousin once removed Antoinette Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Her father became Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg shortly before his death.

  
Sophie Antonia’s parents; Credit – www.the peerage.com

Sophie Antonia had fifteen siblings:

Sophie Antonia had connections to several royal families. She was the paternal aunt of Ivan VI, Emperor of All Russia, first cousin of Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, and first cousin of Peter II, Emperor of All Russia.

Schloss Salzdahlum with its baroque gardens in 1721; Credit – Wikipedia

Sophie Antonia spent her childhood with her family at a Versailles-like palace, Schloss Salzdahlum (link in German).  Because she was related to many royal families, Sophie Antonia was considered as a bride for several princes. However, she was not considered attractive, resulting in the failure of many marriage negotiations. Through the contacts of her eldest brother Karl, she found a marriage possibility with Ernst Friedrich of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who was the same age as her. Ernst Friedrich, the eldest son of Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Anna Sophie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, had little success with women because he was mocked for his looks. He was delighted with Sophie Antonia and they became engaged early in 1749. On April 23, 1749, the two were married in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in the German state of Bavaria. The marriage was considered happy and the couple had seven children but only three survived childhood:

Ernst Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1764, Ernst Friedrich succeeded his father, who had left considerable debt, as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and he moved the official residence to Coburg. Because the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was heavily in debt, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II appointed a debit commission to prevent the bankruptcy of the duchy. The work of the debt commission lasted over thirty years, and during that period, Ernst Friedrich was given a strict annual allowance.

Ernst Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld died on September 8, 1800, in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld at the age of 76. He was buried in the ducal crypt at the Morizkirche (or Stadtkirche St. Moriz) in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany. Sophie Antonia survived him by almost two years, dying in Coburg on May 17, 1802, at the age of 78. She was buried with her husband.

The Morizkirche where Sophia Antonia and her husband are buried; Credit – Von Störfix, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14800843

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Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld/Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Ernst Friedrich (Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Friedrich_(Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld) [Accessed 7 Feb. 2019].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Sophie von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_von_Braunschweig-Wolfenb%C3%BCttel [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Frederick,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld [Accessed 7 Feb. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Princess Sophie Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Sophie_Antoinette_of_Brunswick-Wolfenb%C3%BCttel [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].